It’s exciting to live in this present point of history. So many strides and progress are being made especially in the field of technology. And when we say technology, we don't just mean handheld devices and computers. Even for settings that have always been a part of the human experience, tech finds a way to integrate itself. One excellent example of this is the smart home.
We know that shelter is one of the basic human needs. If it can protect us from the elements, if it has a roof, four walls, some doors, and windows, why does a house need to be a smart home? What are the advantages of a smart home over our regular houses that we’re used to?
For one, smart homes provide homeowners security, comfort, convenience, and energy efficiency by allowing them to monitor and manage smart devices. These devices operate together to automate tasks and actions based on the preference of the homeowner. With these, daily living can be more efficient, secure, sustainable, and even affordable in the long run.
What makes a home a smart home? What are we looking for in smart homes? Essentially, it boils down to connectivity. The home’s WiFi network will serve as the information transmitter for your home smart devices to talk to each other. With this ability to be controlled remotely through WiFi, your appliances, gadgets, and devices won’t need to be manipulated manually time and time again. They can follow and even remember your preferences down to the smallest detail. For example, saying “Time for bed” turns your entertainment system off and switches off your lighting in the living room, turns on your hallway lights, bedside table lamp, and regulates the temperature of your bedroom the way you programmed it to be. And all this happens without you lifting a finger.
What are the Categories of Appliances, Gadgets, and Devices in a Smart Home?
The heart of a smart home’s ecosystem is a system to control and apply settings for your preference. Central hubs that control all your devices from one spot. Smart assistants like Siri, Alexa, or the Google Assistant can understand voice commands and implement them by directly communicating to appliances they have compatibility with. Similarly, this can also be in the form of apps in one’s smartphone or smart wearable devices. Currently, smart speakers are fitted with smart assistants too, and can oversee your home’s automation.
Smart entertainment systems include smart speakers as well but mostly center on smart TVs and gaming consoles. This lets owners access streaming services directly from their appliance, cast videos from their handheld devices into the bigger screens, and even use voice commands through their remote controls.
Smart plugs, smart bulbs, and smart thermostats make light and temperature controls automated and have a bigger variety of settings. No need to actually go to an outlet or switch to turn them on. Now, just by detecting your presence (through your smartwatch), they can be dimmer or brighter based on your preference. Some smart bulbs can even project a variety of colors. For example, your smoke detector can be connected to your light bulbs. If it’s triggered in any way, your lights could start flashing red as well to alert you and everyone in your home.
Home security is one of the systems that have gone through great innovations in the advent of the smart home. Security cameras like the Elinz Security Cameras have smart features and WiFi connectivity that can let homeowners connect remotely, having access to what’s happening inside the home wherever they are as long as they have internet access.
Smart doorbells don’t just let us know when someone’s at the door. Connecting it to your devices or central hub lets you see and talk to whoever's at the door and receive alerts when there are suspicious activities. Smart locks also ensure better security than regular door locks. With remote access through the app, it can be unlocked by the homeowner wherever they are in the world. Plus, some would even allow the use of fingerprints and other biometrics for members of the household, or temporary and updated PIN codes for guests.
Smart appliances are also a huge part of a smart home. Domestic robots that are in charge of household chores make life more convenient and hygienic The best example would be Elinz’s newest product, the Smart Robot Vacuum LDS. It uses Laser Distance Sensor (LDS) to navigate accurately around your home, detecting areas that need to be cleaned all while avoiding cliffs and obstacles. Not only will it work with your home’s central hub, whether you use Alexa or Google Assistant, but it can also communicate with your device via an app so you can set boundaries or draw a map for its cleaning route. You don’t need to worry about the Smart Robot Vacuum’s battery life either as it is self-charging and will resume its previous programming after getting its fill. And best of all, it makes sure that your house is clean, spotless, and germ-free with its 2500Pa suction power, electric-controlled water tank, dry and wet vacuuming, 600 ml dustbin, and UV sterilization.
Smart refrigerators and laundry machines are other examples of smart appliances. Smart refrigerators feature a display and are connected to the cloud. This way, you can monitor what’s inside without having to open the door or be there by just using an app (a nifty workaround when grocery shopping and you can’t remember if you need to buy more milk), send and receive notes and calendar entries that will appear on the fridge's screen, and even get alerts if the refrigerator's door is left open.
Smart washing machines and dryers save you time and money by helping you do laundry efficiently, and can even allow for things like scheduling and notifying you when a load is complete.
Other components for your smart home are gardening necessities like smart lawn mowers and smart garden irrigation. Water controllers make sure you don’t waste water while keeping your plants and lawn healthy. All these without you doing the dirty work and monitoring them through your device and central hub.
And most importantly smart detection devices keep your house safe. It’s a computer-monitored department to control and alert for the presence of water (e.g. flooding or pipe bursts), smoke, CO2, other gases, and even Radeon. This ensures the safety and health of all the members of your household.
